It is often desirable to drive a conveyor belt using a chain-and-sprocket mechanism or drive. A chain-and-sprocket drive may be used in any of a variety of applications. Some examples of applications that may employ a chain-and-sprocket drive relate to converting materials from small fibers or pieces into a sheet, mat, or web for processing. One way to do this is to mix the fibers or pieces with water or other liquid into a slurry and then pour the slurry onto a surface so that it may settle into the desired form, which may be a sheet, mat, or web (hereinafter “web”). The extra water or other liquid (hereinafter “liquid”) may then be allowed to dry off, leaving the small fibers or pieces congealed together in the desired web form. In order to decrease the drying time required, and thus improve the efficiency of the process, a dryer may be used. For example, the dryer may be an oven that subjects the slurry to an elevated temperature, thus increasing the evaporation rate of the liquid and decreasing the dry time. For large scale processes, the slurry may be conveyed through the dryer oven at a speed and temperature to evaporate a desirable amount of liquid from the web.
In some applications using a chain-and-sprocket mechanism to drive a conveyor belt, the chain may be heated when passing through a dryer oven, and then cooled when out of the oven. Repeated heating and cooling of the chain subjects the chain to thermal stresses that challenge the integrity of the chain and thus may shorten the chain's service life. Chain failure may be especially problematic in large scale operations or operations that are continuous for long periods of time. Down time may be extremely costly to the operator, as production is consequently slowed or stopped. In some applications, a chain may have hundreds or thousands of links and thus be extremely expensive to purchase or replace. Thus, it is desirable to test individual chain links for fatigue or other signs of wear so that, if such signs are found, appropriate remedial action may be taken to, for example, avoid expensive downtime and/or chain replacement.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a tool that can be quickly and efficiently used to consistently test chain links for signs of fatigue.